A case has been registered against
a group of 10 Indonesian preachers, who had tested positive for the coronavirus after visiting Karimnagar district in Telangana last month, for alleged negligence and disobedience to the order issued by a public servant, police said on Monday.
They had travelled from New Delhi after attending the Tablighi Jamat religious meeting there and reached Ramagundam on March 14 by train and then arrived in Karimnagar.
Along with the 10 Indonesians, two persons from Delhi who had travelled along with them to Karimnagar and some locals, who had provided them accommodation without following norms were also booked, police said.
They were booked for spreading the epidemic, defying the government orders and for acting in contravention of the Foreigners Act and violating tourist visa norms, a police official said.
The Indonesian preachers, who visited Karimnagar on a "tourist visa" had not informed local district authorities about the purpose of their visit and instead were involved in religious activities after mingling with locals, police said.
The group stayed in Karimnagar for two days and initially an Indonesian was found with suspected symptoms of coronavirus.
On directions of police, he was shifted to anisolation ward of a government hospital in Karimnagar and from there all the 10 members of the group were referred to the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad where all of them tested positive for the virus, a senior police official told PTI.
Four locals who had closely moved along with Indonesian preachers contracted the virus from them and were undergoing treatment while the Indonesians continue to remain under quarantine, police said.
The cases were reigstered under IPC Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 420 (cheating) besides under relevant sections of Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and Foreigners Act, the police official said.
Once they were discharged from hospital, police will question them, the official added.
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